


The Mythical Beasts

by orphan_account



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Good Mythical Morning - Freeform, M/M, Punk, mythical beasts, rhett and link - Freeform, rhink, rock - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-11-01 16:26:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10925586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: What happens when one man bitter about love meets the love of his life?





	1. A Chance Encounter

“Test… test one… test one two…” 

The crowd roared in anticipation, even though it was just the band’s warm up. Rhett tuned his guitar and tested the reverberation, looking nervously over the crowd. It was just another concert; he should be used to his nerves by now. His calloused fingers ran their course over the metal strings, running through the cords, practicing. He mouthed words. Sweat dripped down from his spiked straight up hair, down his forehead, down to his ripped tank top. It was part of the punk rock look. That’s what their agent said. He always thought it shouldn't’ matter how they dressed, as long as they kept a good sound. 

“Rhett! We’ve got five minutes.” Stevie called out from her drum set. Rhett couldn’t help thinking of how pretty she was. She completely rocked the look of too much eyeliner and a hipster beanie over her long, straight, platinum blond hair. She was tapping her drumsticks, also practicing, but she knew when Rhett was too far into his own head and needed to be brought out. Rhett nodded at her, indicating that he knew it was almost time to play. 

Rhett felt something bump his right arm - it was Chase nudging Rhett playfully. They were always goofing around with one another. Chase, the bassist, was dressed in a trashy T-shirt and baggy shorts. Rhett figured that their agent was confused about what looking like a punk rock band might mean, because they all seemed a little mismatched. He gulped, wondering as usual, why he was so nervous on stage like this. He’d performed in bars, at get together, even weddings. Why did he think that people who were literally clamoring and screaming to hear his band, The Mythical Beasts, would be disappointed in his performance? He could probably pull an Ozzy and still have girls throwing their bras at him, something he never understood. 

The stage manager suddenly was counting down from five. Rhett looked from himself, to Stevie, to Chase, and back to the crowd. They were so loud. He was surprised anyone could be that loud, and all for a band! Their band! Then the lights rose up, and Rhett struck a powerful, low cord, announcing that their show was beginning. 

* * *

It was a good set. Rhett belted his heart out, Chase danced like a maniac during his solo, and Stevie, to the appreciation of the audience, made her shirt into a belly shirt. At the end, when he finally cried, “Thank you Indianapolis! Good night!” and the lights shut down, Rhett was surprised that there wasn’t a call for an encore. Everything had been on point. But then again, he reminded himself, they weren’t actually the headliners; that honor would go to The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Still, it had been a great performance.

Rhett, Stevie, and Chase all laughed all the way back to the trailer, Chase and Rhett still carrying their guitars over their shoulders. Rhett couldn’t help but notice that he was coated in sweat and could really use a beer - or water. 

“Hey, guys, I think I’m going to buy some concessions. Maybe some beer. You want anything?” He asked his band mates. 

Stevie laughed. “Oh Rhett. You do this every time, and then you complain about getting swarmed with fans. It’s your own fault if you don’t make it back here til three in the morning.” She poked him with a drumstick, and Rhett was struck for a moment by the difference in height between them. 

“Yeah, it’s totally your fault. Which is why I’m going with you.” Chase said, sticking his tongue out at Stevie. “Come on. I bet they’ll give us a discount.” They had reached the trailer. Rhett climbed in after Chase and both of them putting their guitars away. Stevie took a selfie with the two of them for their social media pages and told them both goodnight. She was usually the first one in bed. Rhett and Chase walked across the lawn back to the venue, while Rhett wondered aloud if they really would get a discount on beer. 

When they got back to the lawn of the venue, they had to make their way down past the crowds of people to the right side of the place, where concessions and merchandise was sold. This meant Rhett and Chase were stopped by a lot of people. This was probably because neither had thought to change their clothes, and also because at six feet seven inches, Rhett stuck out in a crowd. It took about thirty minutes for them to work their way downwards, during which they took photos with fans and signed things. The Mythical Rejects had a philosophy that they wouldn’t want people to be jerks to them if they weren’t famous, and while they weren’t really famous yet, they thought their fans deserved love for what they did. They said thank you over and over, they reminded people to buy their CD, and they even signed a guy’s chest. Once they were finally at the bottom of the lawn, Rhett felt dizzy with dehydration. He and Chase were finally able to quickly make their way to a concession stand because the headliner was performing their opener, and this meant lines for things like snacks were considerably shorter.

Without looking up, Rhett placed a twenty on the counter of a booth that had signs like _Beer! Wine!_ and _Cocktails!_ in flashing yellow letters. “Two beers, please.” He felt painfully aware of stars dancing in his eyes and wondered when he’d last eaten.

“Can I see some ID?” Rhett heard a voice that made his heart catch in his throat. He looked up to see the most striking, beautiful man he’d ever seen. He couldn’t have said anything if he’d wanted to. The man was  just - striking. His eyes were blue, and his hair was black, as were his square rimmed glasses. He was muscular, or at least Rhett thought he could see muscles, since he was wearing a tank top that was similar to what Rhett was wearing. His smile was slightly crooked, and he was shorter than Rhett, but still.. Rhett would later explain it as love at first sight. But Rhett didn’t believe in love. This was.. something else?

Chase nudged him, giving him a glance, which snapped Rhett out of his trance. “Oh! Oh yeah. Uh.. yeah. Here.” He got his wallet out and passed his ID along the counter top. Chase did the same, shooting looks between Rhett and this mysterious stranger. 

“I’m sorry, he’s just really dehydrated.” Chase said as the man looked at their IDs under lights to make sure they weren’t fake. “We were on stage earlier and it’s just so hot outside, I think he might be a little delirious.” Rhett nodded to this. His thoughts were moving slowly. 

The stranger looked up and winked at them both. “I’m just messing with you guys. I know who you are.” He put two beers on the counter, along with two bottles of water. “On the house.”

“You know who the Mythical Beasts are?” Rhett asked, surprised that he’d found his voice. He was blatantly staring at this handsome stranger, which caused Chase to raise his eyebrows. 

“Uh.. yeah. I’ve been a fan for a while. Nice to be working a show that you guys are at.” He held out his hand for Rhett. “You okay there buddy? You look a bit…”

Rhett didn’t get to hear what he looked like; the heat had gotten to him. Everything fell into darkness as the large man hit the concrete, losing consciousness from a combination of heat and overexertion. 

* * *

Rhett heard a faint beeping sound. It was steady, just a slight, high pitched _beep.. beep.. beep.._ He opened his eyes to see a tiled ceiling. His first thought was something about how the booths didn’t have tiled ceilings, so that didn’t make any sense. He looked around and saw on one side of him an IV, and on the other three chairs, two of which had his band mates. Chase was awake, reading a magazine, while Stevie had managed to fold her small body into the chair and was using a T shirt as a pillow as she slept.

“You’re awake! That’s a relief.” Chase laughed and shook Rhett’s arm. “We were really worried about you for a bit there.” 

Rhett blinked at him, dazed. “What are you talking about? Weren’t we just getting beers?” He looked around. “Am I in a hospital?”

“Yeah, you hit your head pretty bad on the counter when you passed out. So we had to call an ambulance. I bet that media’s going to be all over it.” Chase held up his hands in a gesture of mock - theatrics. “Lead singer faints at concert! Possible heart attack or death!” He laughed at his own antics. 

“Oh. That makes sense, then, as to why we’re here.” Rhett sat up and rubbed his eyes. 

“Oh! Rhett. Before I forget, that guy wanted to make sure you were okay. He gave me a card. You can call him when you start feeling better.” Chase rummaged in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a small business card. He handed it to Rhett. One side had the venue that they had performed at written on it, Verizon Wireless Music Center. The other had a phone number and next to it, a name. 

“Link.” Rhett breathed. “Link.” He sank back down into the bed, the card still in his hand, and drifted back into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Concussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett wakes up in a hospital to find out he's stuck in Indiana with his band mates. When hope is just a phone call away, will he dial the number?

The next morning Rhett awoke to bright lights and the sounds of hospital monitors. He was confused at first, but then remembered that he’d spent the night there. Dazed, he sat up, rubbing his eyes, adjusting to the blinding morning light from the window. He looked to the chairs next to him and saw that Chase and Stevie were gone, but their sweatshirts were there. “Probably went to get coffee.” He yawned.

 

“Ah, you’re up!” Rhett was startled by a knock at the door. A man who looked to be in his sixties, with a grey beard and little hair on the top of his head, was standing at the door with a clip board. 

“Uh.. yeah.” Rhett blinked at him, unsure what to say. “Are you a doctor or something?”

“Yes.” The man nodded curtly. “I was just coming in to wake you up. You’re free to go.”

“I’m good to go?” 

“That’s right. You’re good to go.” The doctor echoed him in a matter of fact tone. He flipped through his chart. “Minor concussion. Probably should just rest for about a week. Let us know if pain gets worse.” He closed the papers. “Any questions?”

“Uh, yeah, you said rest for a week? Can I travel?” Rhett asked. “We’re kind of on tour right now, we have a show Friday. Let’s see, it’s...” Rhett tried to remember the day of the week. “It’s...”

“It’s Tuesday. You’re not making it to the Friday show, unless you want to risk hurting yourself. Oh, and no driving.” The old man gave Rhett a look that told him he should listen, so Rhett nodded. “I’ll send the nurse in with your discharge papers.”

* * *

 

It wasn’t easy to explain to The Mythical Beasts that they were going to miss the show in Akron, Ohio - their next tour stop. It was going to be difficult to explain to their manager, too. By the time Rhett had signed his discharge papers and changed into his clothes, everyone was grumpy. It didn’t help that it had taken the doctors two hours just to release him. 

“I think we need some lunch.” Rhett said quietly, half to himself, looking ahead, past Stevie and Chase. Chase looked at him and nodded. 

“Oh! Did you call that guy yet?” Stevie asked, stopping. “What was his name?”

“Link.” Rhett tasted his name again and felt a surge of energy and excitement that he couldn’t explain. It was followed by a sick feeling in his stomach, put there by past experiences. He shook his head. “No, I haven’t called him. I will here in a bit. You guys get the car. I’ll be out in a few.” Chase and Stevie walked out, discussing what they were going to eat.

Rhett walked to the main entrance doorway, all the while looking down at the card. He paused there, staring at it. His brain felt like it was trudging through a mudslide, and his head still hurt. He didn’t want to call this handsome stranger with bad news. 

_Handsome?_ He thought to himself. _You don’t date any more, remember?_ He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, denying himself the feeling of attraction towards this.. this... Link. Suddenly his dark hair, his blue eyes, his smirk, were all jumping into his mind’s eye. 

“No.” Rhett whispered to himself. “We’re not going to think like that.” He shoved the card into his pocket, promising himself he’d make the phone call later.

He looked up to see Chase’s car pulling up to the hospital doors. Rhett took another deep breath and stepped out through the revolving doorway, all the while thinking, _Oh, no, not again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys so I'm still working on where I want to go with this. Don't worry, more coming soon. And yeah, there's definitely some angst.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee can induce anxiety.

It was 8:34am, according to Stevie’s watch, when The Mythical Beasts entered an IHOP looking for breakfast. For a few minutes they all stood by the doors, waiting to be seated, until Rhett had the sense to sit down, as his head was throbbing a little bit after the car ride over. They’d almost had to stop twice because he was experiencing motion sickness, something Rhett rarely had experienced before. The restaurant was full of commotion, so it was going to be a few minutes until anyone sat them anyway. Just around them there were four families waiting to be seated, and they were all crammed into the doorway together, which did not help Rhett’s headache. He sat there, rubbing his temples gently, trying to shut out the over-stimulation of the place.

“I’ll be right back. I need to use the ladies’ room,” Stevie said after a couple more minutes, and disappeared into the bustling dining room. Chase nodded after her and looked down at Rhett before sitting next to him. 

“You doing alright buddy?” Chase asked, his forehead creased with worry. Even with his tone of voice being one of concern, Rhett couldn’t help but smile at the way he played it off so casually. 

“Yeah, just my head, man.” Rhett sat up a little, gently, and looked out into the chaos of the woman in front of him who was holding a baby, who was in turn fascinated by everything happening around him. It was amusing to watch the baby’s eyes rove over everything, as he was seeing it for the first time. Rhett was painfully reminded again of the feeling he’d gotten when he saw Link the night before - like seeing for the first time.

“…he say?” Chase’s voice trailed into Rhett’s thoughts and interrupted them.

“Huh?” Rhett blinked. 

“That guy. What did he say?” Chase asked again. “You called him, didn’t you?” 

“Oh.. yeah. Uh. Not yet.” Rhett looked down at his hands and became fascinated with his cuticle situation. “It’s just that, uh.. well, I haven’t done it yet. I wanted to give him good news and all I’ve got is bad news.”

“Oh.” Chase looked out into the restaurant. “You know, I saw you staring at him.”

Rhett grunted. “Hmm.”

“He wasn’t bad looking, and we are here for at least a week.”

Rhett grunted again and bit his nail. “Mm. Yeah.”

“You could… ask him to meet you for coffee or something.” Chase suggested, his voice still playful. He looked at Rhett and grinned. 

“You know how I feel about that.” Rhett said uncomfortable, staring into his hands. “You know how I feel about dating. I haven’t dated anyone since Mike. And I dont’ want to open the door.” He chewed his thumb and noticed that he was bleeding mildly on another finger. He blotted it with his T shirt. “Come on, man.”

“Alright. It was just a thought.” Chase shrugged. He stared into space for another minute. “Maybe you don’t have all bad news for him is all I’m saying.” 

Rhett’s heart leaped into his throat and prevented him from replying. Instead he just stared out into the families and wondered about many different things.

“Hey. That waitress says we’re next.” Stevie seemed to have popped out of nowhere and was staring down at the two of them. “Come on.”

* * *

That afternoon, Rhett was sitting with Chase on the lawn at the Verizon Wireless Music Center, right outside their trailer. He was twisting blades of grass in his hands while Chase thoughtfully played his acoustic guitar and hummed what sounded like a blues song. Rhett rubbed the blades of grass together between his fingers thoughtfully. 

 _You shouldn’t call him. It’ll end badly. It always does._ He pulled up another chunk of grass and listening to Chase’s melodic humming, trying to clear his mind, but it couldn’t be done. 

 _Maybe you don’t have to go out with him. All you have to do is tell him you’re okay._ The other side of his brain added to the conversation. _You’re being irrational._

Rhett stopped playing with the grass for a moment. He _was_ being irrational. He pulled the card out of his pocket and stared at it, suddenly looking very determined. “Hey Chase?”

“Hmm?” Chase asked mindlessly. 

“If I call him, will you help me with what to say?” Rhett thought again about the stranger’s southern accent, his blue eyes, his glasses, black hair. “I don’t want to get all tongue - tied.” 

Chase’s eyes brightened. “Hell yeah. Put him on speaker!” 

Rhett got his phone out of his pocket and began to dial. “I won’t put it on speaker, I’ll just turn up the volume. I don’t want him to hear - it’s ringing.”

Rhett’s heart made another jump into his throat. _One ring… two rings… three rings…_ He was about to lose nerve and hang up…

“Hello?” 

Rhett’s mouth opened and nothing came out. He stuttered. “Uh- uh- uh-” He looked over at Chase, who screamed in a whisper, “SAY HI!”

“Hello.” Rhett managed to finally cough up the word from somewhere deep in his gut. “Is this Link?” He asked, a little too quickly.

“What?” The person on the other end asked.

Rhett took a deep breath at Chase’s gesture and forced himself to slow down. “Is.. this… Link?” He asked again, calmly. 

“Oh! Yes. Who is this?” 

Rhett relaxed a little. “This is Rhett.. from the Mythical Beasts?” He looked at Chase who fake-fell onto the grass. “I fell in front of your booth and hit my head?”

“Oh! Yeah. Hi Rhett. Don’t believe I caught your name before now.” Link laughed, and Rhett instantly thought of how charming it was. He blinked, hard, forcing himself to think other thoughts and focus on what Link was saying instead of how he said it. “How are you doing? You went down pretty hard.” 

“I’m okay, but they say I’ll need to rest for a week. So we’re stuck here.” Rhett looked over at Chase and mouthed “I CAN’T DO THIS”, to which Chase mouthed back, “YES YOU CAN KEEP GOING.” Rhett cleared his throat. “But otherwise okay.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear. I was worried.” Link’s voice had a quality of sincerity that Rhett found very heart warming. His own heart seemed lodged in his trachea, and had been for the entire conversation. 

“Yeah, we’ll be back on tour soon, it seems.” Rhett said, unsure what to say next. 

“Oh.” Link paused. Rhett could have sworn he imagined it, but was that disappointment in the man’s voice? “Can I ask you something?”

“Uh..” Rhett looked over at Chase, who grinned and gestured for him to keep going. “Yeah. Go ahead.” 

“Would you like to grab coffee later?” Link asked. He sounded somewhat bashful. “Just to make sure you’re okay. That and how often do I get to meet a band member of something I’m actually a fan of? Not often.” He laughed at his own attempt at a joke.

Rhett froze. His whole body felt like it was paralyzed. He looked at Chase. “Hold on just a second.” He looked down at the phone and hit the mute button. “He wants to do coffee.”

“Yes! That is awesome, say yes!” Chase’s face lit up with delight. Then it fell. “Wait. Are you going to say no?”

“I have to! I can’t risk.. I can’t do that again.” Rhett looked out across the lawn. “I can’t.”

“Rhett, did he actually say, ‘Will you go on a date with me’?” Chase asked in a serious tone. 

“No. He just said he was a fan.” Rhett’s thumb hovered over the mute button. 

“So it’s not a date.” Chase said gently. “So you don’t have to be scared.” 

“Hmm.” Rhett nodded. “That’s a good point.” Rhett’s thumb hit the mute button, turning sound back on. “You still there?” 

“Yeah. So what do you say? Coffee?” 

Rhett took a deep breath. “Yeah. We can do coffee.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There shall be angst.


	4. Coffee Not-A-Date

Rhett ran his hand through his hair for about the hundredth time that day, making sure it was still sticking up, and then reminded himself that doing it too much would make his hair come down. “I should write a song about that.” He mused thoughtfully. “My hair goes up... my hair goes down...” he sang quietly under his breath, glancing around the Starbucks self consciously. He’d been standing in it for a good ten minutes, waiting on the mysterious stranger Link to arrive.

* * *

 

_“I’ll drive you. You’ll be fine. Just text me when you need a ride back.”_  Chase had told him, trying to sound encouraging. Rhett had shrugged and nodded, muttered, _“thank you”_ , and tried to look nonchalant about the whole thing. Standing here in the coffee shop, waiting, Rhett couldn’t help but begin to feel anxious. What if he didn’t show up? Or more nerve racking, what if he did? 

Rhett glanced down at his hands and took his phone out of his pocket.  _1 unread text message._  He slid his thumb across the screen to unlock it.  _Be there in five - Link._  Rhett’s heart hammered and he took a deep breath, counting to himself, slowly, in for eight, hold for eight, our for eight. He repeated this twice, as quietly as he could, and slipped the phone back into his pocket. The text had been sent at 3:45pm. It was now 3:57. The coffee shop wasn’t terribly crowded; it was instead relatively slow, with one or two people on laptops. Time seemed to be inching by as slowly as possible, and he had the urge to start counting the seconds as they went by. 

Rhett heard a little jingle of a door bell to his left. He looked over, towards the afternoon’s cloudy sky, and saw the most beautiful man he’d ever seen - for the second time. Rhett caught himself staring, just as he had before he hit his head. Link’s black hair was illuminated by the sun behind him. His eyes were a bright, vibrant blue against dark eyelashes. His shirt was blue as well, and over it he was wearing a mustard yellow cardigan. His body was muscular, but also thin, as emphasized by his skinny jeans. The light from behind Link made him look silhouetted, almost glowing, and the yellow of his outfit enhanced the effect. Rhett cleared his throat to keep his heart from jumping up and straight out of his mouth onto the floor. He felt filled with a nervous energy.  _It’s not a date. Don’t act like it’s a date._  He reminded himself sternly. 

Link looked around and quickly spotted Rhett, who was standing near the other doorway. He waltzed over to him, smiling. “Hi. Rhett?” He held out his left hand to shake. 

“Uh. Yeah. Link right?” Rhett took his left hand with his right hand and gave it a firm shake. It felt like electricity was running through his fingers. He pried his hand away with difficulty. “How are you?”

“I’m doing okay. Do you know what what you want?” Link gestured towards the menu. 

“What?” Rhett blinked, surprised. He wasn’t sure what he was more surprised at - that Link was so easy to talk to, or that he may have just offered to pay. 

“Yeah. I’m buying.” Link confirmed Rhett’s thoughts as if he’d read his mind. 

“Are you sure?” Rhett looked up at the menu and back down to the handsome stranger. 

“Last time you tried to buy from me, you hit your head on concrete. I insist.” Link said playfully. He jerked his head towards the register, gesturing that Rhett should follow him. Rhett’s legs froze for a moment, but then he found himself walking behind him to the cashier, who was standing there waiting for the two of them to make their way to her. 

“You gentlemen ready to order?” She asked in a friendly voice. Link looked up at Rhett and motioned for him to go first. 

“Uh yeah I’ll have a... let’s see... a medium strawberry frappucino.” Rhett said, stepping forward. He wondered if that made him sound particularly girly and blushed a little at the embarrassing thought.

“Okay! Can I get a name for that order?” The young woman asked cheerily.

“Uh! Yeah. Rhett... uh, R-H-E-T-T.” Rhett replied, slowly spelling out his name.

“Okay then! And for you sir?” The young woman turned to the shorter dark haired stranger. 

“Yeah - uhm, let’s see... make mine the same. That sounds really good right now.” Link said, a smile playing on his lips.

“And your name?” The cashier asked again.

“Link.” He replied. “Or you can put Lincoln.” He politely handed her his debit card.

“Lincoln. I like that.” She said, smiling, as she wrote Lincoln on his cup in sharpie marker. She put the cup down and took the card from him. 

 _Lincoln_. Rhett thought.  _I like that a lot. Lincoln._  He quickly added a thought about not getting too attached to him.  _You’re only here a week, anyway,_ he reminded himself. 

“Okay, we will get those right out for you.” The woman smiled at them both and went back to assist with making the drinks, but not before placing Link’s debit card back on the counter for him. Link picked it up and put it in his pocket. The two men walked over to the counter where drinks are handed out. Rhett couldn’t help but notice that Link looked like he was feeling a combination of happiness and nervous energy, just as he was. 

“So. How have you been since the concert?” Rhett asked him, looking for a way to fill the silence between them.

“Oh, I’ve been fine. It’s just been preparing for the next one.” Link shrugged. “I love the job though. It’s busy as hell, but it’s so great to see all the people who come through. And all the bands! Your guys’s set on Saturday was really great.” 

“Thanks.” Rhett said sincerely. 

“Two strawberry frappucinos?” Another barista asked, setting them both on the counter.

“Yeah! That’s us, thanks.” Link picked up both drinks and turned to Rhett. “Where do you wanna sit?”

Rhett looked around the cafe, scanning for a table that was open and clean. “Hmm..” His eyes finally settled on a table near the doors where Link had come in. “How about there?” 

“Yeah. Sounds good.” Link replied, and the two men walked to the table together. Link set  both drinks on the table, and Rhett looked at his hands that were holding the drinks, thinking of a few minutes ago when they’d touched.  _Pull it together. You have got to keep your emotions under control. Small talk only._  Rhett reminded himself strictly. Rhett sat down and Link followed suit, immediately picking up his frappe and taking a sip.

“Thank you for the drink,” Rhett told him, picking up his own and taking a drink. It was especially sweet, as if the barista had used just a little bit too much syrup, but he didn’t mind; his energy was focused on other things, like what he was going to talk about. “How long have you been working at the music center?”

“Oh, about... five years now.” Link replied, putting his frappe back on the table. “It’s a fun gig. A lot better than my last job, working retail.” He shuddered, as if the very thought of it were tainted. 

“Where did you work in retail?” Rhett asked, trying to keep the conversation going. He was not a natural conversationalist, and the way the light highlighted the different strands of black hair on Link’s head was distracting. He forced himself to look down at his drink and become fascinated with the whipped cream on top.

“Best Buy. I used to be an ARA for Geek Squad. That’s “Advanced Repair Agent”. Mostly it meant getting the porn bots off of people’s computers while pretending you didn’t know where they came from.” He shrugged. “It was boring work. People are predictable, always getting the same stuff on their computers and claiming to never know why. I was there for about five years.”

“Some of it must have been interesting, if you were there so long. Didn’t you ever have any weird customers?” Rhett asked, intrigued. He knew little about the world of technology except how to pirate DVDs. 

“Well, there were a few that were particularly annoying. Like every single person who got the FBI virus. This virus that says it’s from the government?” Link paused and took another sip from his drink before looking back up at Rhett. “You only get that from watching lots and lots of porn, by the way.”

“Oh.” Rhett wasn’t sure what to say. “I wouldn’t know, I don’t really watch porn.”

“You don’t watch porn? Come on, everyone watches some porn.” Link teased, grinning. “I mean, I do. Sometimes.”

“I actually don’t.” Rhett shrugged. “Always seemed really fake to me. I’d rather watch couples who actually love each other.” He looked down, cheeks red as they had come upon such a personal topic. 

“That’s actually kind of sweet.” Link said slowly. His tone of voice had shifted from the voice that one might compare to a teasing little brother to the voice of a sincere friend. He took another long sip from his frappe, and there was silence between the two men for a moment as they both searched for a topic. Rhett wondered how long he was obligated to stay in the coffee shop, and if it were a long time, could he be interesting enough to keep Link’s attention? 

“Can I ask you something?” Link’s voice rang into Rhett’s thoughts. Rhett looked up, not realizing he’d become lost in them. 

“What?” Rhett asked.

“You seem sad. Like something happened to you, but you’re not over it yet, whatever it was.” Link raised his eyebrows. “Am I right?”

“Uh...” Rhett felt his heart thump in his chest. How did Link know? Was he that obvious? He took a deep breath and looked out the window. “Yeah, I guess you could.. I guess you could say that.” 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” 

Rhett let the question hang in the air, considering. He stared at the window, his hands on his drink, thumbing at the condensation. This was a stranger, a total, complete, stranger. But he was a kind stranger. He was warm and friendly, teasing, funny, and seemed sincere.  _You’re only here a week,_ he reminded himself.  _What do you really have to lose?_  He looked back at Link, who was looking at him with a friendly, patient expression, waiting, and looked down at his drink.  _Maybe talking will help,_  a rational voice in his head said, persistent. He took a slow, deep breath, thinking about his options. Would it be so bad to talk to this stranger, this handsome man, whom he would, more than likely, never see again? Would it really hurt anything? There was always a risk of being hurt. Rhett couldn’t help thinking, though... maybe this was worth the risk.

“Sure, we can talk about it.” He finally answered Link, quietly. “But let’s get out of here first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys this is going to go into some personal places for me, so just bare with me here. Thanks for reading, please tell me what you think!


	5. Story Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett figures he has nothing to lose by telling Link about himself.

Rhett followed Link out of the Starbucks, each of them still holding onto their drinks. For a moment they stared out, unsure what to do next. Rhett felt suddenly very self conscious of having gotten a ride from Chase. 

“Do you want to just take a walk?” Link asked. “The weather’s real nice, and I think there are some neighborhoods back there we can walk through.”

“Yeah, that sounds good to me.” Rhett took another sip of his drink and walked alongside Link to the edge of the parking lot, where a side walk into suburbia began. He looked sideways at Link, who seemed content with waiting for Rhett to begin the conversation. It was Rhett they came out here to talk about, after all. He cleared his throat and looked down at the ground, biting the inside of his cheek.  _Just talk. Just talk._  “The weather’s real nice.” Dammit, didn’t Link just say that? 

Link laughed. “Yeah. Look, why’re you so nervous?” He grinned cheekily. “Do I make you nervous with my dashing good looks?” He laughed again and brushed his hair away dramatically. 

“Well... a little. Yeah.” Rhett stared into his drink. “A bit.” 

“Oh.” Link’s laughter stopped as he began to blush. “Well.” He too looked at the ground, but unlike Rhett he was smiling. “Thank you.”

“Yep.”

The two men continued walking side by side, not saying anything, awkwardly looking away from each other, their faces red with embarrassment. Occasionally one would look at the other but then quickly look away, afraid of being caught. Rhett continually found himself thinking bad things about himself, anything he could tell this person to save them from any grief he might bring. He said nothing, instead deciding silence was better.  _You’re only here a week_ , he reminded himself. That wasn’t enough time to majorly screw anything up, was it? Every now and then he could swear Link was looking at him the same way he’d blatantly stared at Link before, but when he glanced over, Link would look back out at the road or at his drink. Rhett wondered now why he’d volunteered information about himself in the coffee shop at all. But here he was. 

“Isn’t there something you wanted to talk about, Rhett?” Link asked, quietly. He also sounded unsure of himself, which made Rhett feel less alone. 

 Rhett sighed. “You were right. About me being, well, sad.” He shook his now empty frappucino and tossed it into an open garbage can in a driveway as they walked past. “I’ve lost someone. Some people, really.” 

“Oh.” Link frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He threw his empty cup into the same trash can. “Do you wanna talk about it?” 

“I don’t know.” Rhett answered honestly. “You seem nice, but I barely know you. Doesn’t it seem a little fast?” 

“I’ll tell you some things about me. And then you can get it off your chest.” Link looked up at Rhett and stopped walking. Rhett stopped, looking down at him, into the sea of blue that was the stranger’s eyes. “I don’t know you very much but I love your music. And you seem nice too. But I can tell you’re carrying something heavy, and I want to carry a little bit of it.” He looked at the sunset, which was lowering behind the houses, and into the pink and orange clouds that were turning blue. “My mom used to say that if something was bothering you, you keep talking about it. Don’t just shut it up inside. It’ll fester and eat you away. You know?” He turned back to the sidewalk and started walking again. “Just.. I’m here if you want to talk. That’s all.”

For another few minutes, Rhett and Link didn’t speak, but instead looked at the houses around them and thought about their lives. 

“I knew this girl.” Rhett was started by Link breaking the silence and looked over at him. “She was my world. But she had some issues, you know?” 

“What kind of issues?” Rhett asked, gently, enthralled by this admission from Link, the beginning of a story. “Like... health problems?”

“She had mental problems, more like.” Link replied, staring out into the road. “She would do things like cut her weight into her stomach. And her wrists were all scarred up. And she had an eating disorder.”

“Wow.” Rhett whistled a low note. “Sounds like a lot to handle.”

“Yeah. But when she was happy, she was so vibrant and full of life, just... she was so much emotion. But when the emotions were good, she was full of good, and it was just contagious.” He chuckled. “I really loved her.”

“But it didn’t last.” 

“No.” It was Link’s turn to sigh. “She ended up in a psych ward, and while she was there, I told her I’d wait for her to get better, but I couldn’t keep going like that. The thing is, the doctors said she’d be sick for the rest of her life. She wasn’t going to get better, not for a long time at least.” He kicked a small rock and continued. “We tried for a couple of months after that, but I couldn’t take it. I had to leave her. It hurt like hell. I’d proposed a couple of months before and everything. She was really sensitive about love, and she took my leaving pretty hard. She texted me and said it put her back in the psych ward, but that she had to try and leave me behind too. For her own sanity.” Link’s eyes brimmed with tears, and he blinked them back. “It’s been about a year. I still think about it every now and then. It’s just, I couldn’t be what she needed. She needed a professional. Or a team of professionals. And I couldn’t do all that. I tried, and it was exhausting. She wore me out, and wore my heart out. I couldn’t do it.” 

Rhett was quiet for a moment. Street lights were beginning to light up their path, the gentle glow of the sunset fading behind trees and houses. “I’m sorry man. That’s a lot to handle.” 

“Yeah.” Link looked up at Rhett. “It is. But I’m okay.” He looked over the houses, the yards, the haven of suburbia. “I’m okay.”

“Yeah.” Rhett smiled gently. 

“So what’s your story?” Link asked, grinning. “I told you mine. You tell me yours.”

Rhett laughed, and then looked out into the street. “We should probably turn around at some point. It’s getting dark.”

“We’ll turn around if you tell me your story.” Link teased. 

“Hmmph.” Rhett grunted. “Okay.”

Rhett took a couple of steps before he began. “It all started with my freshman year of college. I was dating this girl when I went to school. It was a Christian school, like one where you cant’ dance or anything? I had a really religious upbringing. My parents liked the school of choice, and I figured I could study music there.’ 

“I met this guy. I didn’t know I... I didn’t know I also liked guys. His name was Joe. We started hanging out all the time, and pretty soon... we kissed.” Rhett scuffed his shoe on the sidewalk. “My girlfriend was very upset. She broke up with me that Christmas. But I had Joe, so it wasn’t too bad. The next semester started and Joe and I started... sneaking out to cars to do, you know, do stuff. It was very exciting but also very hush-hush. If we were caught, we’d be outed, as well as kicked out of school.’ 

“We took things too far one night, physically, and Joe stopped talking to me. He’d said he loved me before, and then he just kind of stopped. When I confronted him about it, he said he ‘meant it at the time’. I was devastated.” Rhett stopped talking for a minute to clear his throat. He looked at Link, who was looking at him with rapt attention. Link nodded for him to continue, and so Rhett did. 

“Then I got appendicitis. I was taking a full course load and trying to prepare for recitals and writing research papers and I was out of commission out of nowhere. They gave me a lot of painkillers at the hospital. My devastation after losing two people right in a row who cared about me made me break down. I stopped talking for a week and just laid in my bed, waiting for the pain from the surgery to go away.” 

“You didn’t talk for a whole week?” Link blinked back his surprise. “Wow.”

“Yeah. A whole week.” Rhett let out a low whistle. “When I started talking again, my roommate was surprised. So was everyone else. My throat hurt from talking again. It was weird.” 

He looked over at Link, who was still looking at him. Link nodded again. “We can start to turn back now if you want.” 

“Yeah, well, that isn’t everything. A month later, I was feeling even worse and I took all my painkillers. I had four bottles worth.” Rhett stopped talking for a moment to swallow the small lump in his throat. Why was he telling all this to a stranger? He looked at Link, whose blue eyes were wide with concern. “I tried to kill myself. Didn’t work.” 

“You wrote a song about that, didn’t you?” Link snapped his fingers, trying to remember the lyric. “Pain is like an old friend, it breaks in and doesn’t leave again.’“ He quoted. 

“Yeah. That’s what that’s about.” Rhett smiled at the fact that Link had remembered something like that. “Not a lot of people have figured out that that song is about suicide.” He frowned. “I was nineteen. The thing is I thought they’d take a while, so I went down stairs to say goodbye to people. But then everyone started noticing that I wasn’t really responding to them, or I couldn’t stand up. I told someone I needed to go to the hospital and I wouldn’t tell them why. Thank God they took me. I was in critical care for two days. It sucked.” He let out a low sigh. “Oh, and then my school told me not to tell anybody.”

“Wait, what?” Link stopped walking and looked up at Rhett incredulously. “They did not. There’s no way.”

“Oh yeah. They told me if I told anyone they’d send me home.” Rhett looked at Link’s face, which was a mixture of confusion and anger. “So I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Geez, that’s... that’s so messed up.” Link shook his head. “That’s completely fucked up, man. Did they at least get you to a therapist?”

“Nope.” Rhett squished an ant with his shoe. “They did nothing to help me out. I was damaging to their reputation. That’s all they cared about.” 

“Yikes.” Link shook his head again. He looked around and noticed it was dark outside. “Is there more?” 

Rhett nodded. “Why don’t we start heading back anyway. I’ll tell you on the way.” Link nodded. The two men turned around and began to walk back the way they’d came before Rhett continued. 

“Next year, I started dating again. This girl, Ally. She was really nice and smart, and really small. I always felt really weird next to her. We dated for two years, proposed to each other, and then she left me. It was really hard. I was really depressed for a while after that. But then I met this new guy... Mike.’ 

“Mike was great. Really nice. Big brown eyes and a dopey smile. He meant the world to me. He told me it was love at first sight. He said he’d never felt that way. We were incredibly close, and when Mike proposed, I said yes.” Rhett looked over at Link. Link was looking out into their path, but nodded to Rhett to continue. “Anyway... Mike’s parents were really strict. Religious. When our families found out, it was hell. And he.. he left me.” He choked on the words. He had almost choked on the name. “He left me, after making me believe in all that stuff all over again. And I haven’t dated since. It’s been six years. But he...he said that there was something wrong with me. With who I am. And I’m afraid of whatever that is. I’m afraid because he says I hurt him. And I don’t want to hurt anyone else.” 

For several minutes this time, there was quiet between them. Rhett swallowed the nervous tension in his gut that was threatening to explode. What had he gotten into? He’d told him everything. There was no need for that. He could’ve stopped earlier. He could have just not said anything at all, refused to participate. He was afraid to look at Link, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to make him blush any more, the way he had earlier. He’d said too much. He kicked a small rock with his shoe and watched as it bounced into the street. A car went by. All the while, Link looked very thoughtful, very contemplative, as if he were simply trying to think of what could be said next. 

“If you don’t want to see me again, I understand. I’m not here long anyway.” Rhett finally broke the silence as they approached the Starbucks parking lot. 

“Rhett. Please don’t do that.” Link stopped walking and took Rhett’s elbow gently. “I don’t think anything’s wrong with you except your head injury.” He smiled. “I mean that. Okay?”

“Okay.” Rhett said, disbelieving. “Okay.” He looked around the parking lot. “Chase is probably wondering where I am.” 

“I’ll drive you back. Where are you guys staying?” Link began to walk over to a red minivan, pulling some keys out of his pocket and hitting the fob. “Come on.”

Rhett breathed a sigh of relief, still not believing what had just happened. “Okay.” He followed Link and climbed into the van. “We’re at the music center.” 

“Alright. That I can do.” Link began to back up the car, and pulled it to the edge of the parking lot. “And Rhett?”

“Yeah?”

“I like you just the way you are.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so different from what I usually write that it feels a little odd. But hey. Writing is about growing. Please leave feedback if you like it, or dislike it, constructive criticism is a great thing. This is really branching out for me.


	6. How was it?

“So how’d it go?” Chased asked as he saw Rhett walking up to their trailer, a large, nervous grin on his face. 

“It went... it went pretty well. I guess.” Rhett narrowed his eyes and squinted at the small, chubby form that was Chase, standing outside of their temporary home. “Have you been waiting for me?” 

“You didn’t text me saying you had a ride. I was supposed to give you one, but I guess that was taken care of.” 

“Oh! Shit. I’m so sorry man.” Rhett took out his phone and saw a notification that a text had not been delivered. “I meant to send it, but... guess it didn’t go through.” He thumbed at the touch screen and clicked to re-send the message. “See? Re-sent it to you. All better now?”

Chase got out his phone as it buzzed twice and looked at it. “Oh. Yeah. All good. So. It went well?” He grinned at Rhett the way close friends do when one of their counterparts has gone on a date. 

“Shut up.” Rhett punched him in the arm lightly, teasing. “Yeah. It went great. Alright?”

“Alright? Tell me all about it! Tell me all about this hot steamy coffee date!” Chase punched Rhett back and his grin grew wider, to Cheshire cat proportions. 

“What’s this about a hot coffee date?” Stevie had appeared in the trailer doorway, looking sleepy and disheveled. She slept often on their tours, arguing that large crowds exhausted her. 

“It’s nothing.” Rhett said, making a hand motion to draw away from the conversation. “It’s nothing.”

“Rhett went on a date.” Chase cooed at Stevie. Stevie’s eyebrows shot upwards and her eyes became instantly alert. She stared at Rhett, who continued shaking his head fervently. 

“It was not a date - Chase, you said it wasn’t a date.” 

“He brought you back... that kinda makes it a date.” Chase shrugged, the animated grin refusing to leave his face. Rhett rolled his eyes and groaned, burying his face in his hands. Was Chase right? Did that make it a date? He wasn’t ready for a date. He didn’t know what he was ready for. He also didn’t know what he wasn’t ready for, in hindsight. He was young - too young, according to most, to swear away from romance. He figured he was old enough to have seen enough to know what damage could be done, what damage he could do. He had no desire to do that damage to Link, and now the thought that he might, even in the future, was torturous. He looked from Chase to Stevie, who were both still looking at him, although now with apprehension. 

“I’m sorry man, I’m just teasing. Why don’t we talk about it?” Chase asked, beckoning Rhett towards the trailer. Rhett nodded, figuring he didn’t have anywhere else to really go anyway, and followed him inside, ducking under the doorway to get in and ducking a little bit until he was back on the couch in the back where he slept. Stevie and Chase weren’t far behind, taking seats on either side of him on the couch, and then looking up at him again. 

“So... what did happen?” Stevie asked, taking a long pause between her words. 

“It was great. I told him everything.” Rhett threw up his hands. “And he wants to see me again before I go.” 

“You told him everything?” Chase asked, his grin now replaced by concern. “Dude... everything?”

“Well.” Rhett shifted uncomfortably. “Most everything. Everything that matters at least.” He looked back at Chase, who was still looking at him like he might break at any moment. “I didn’t tell him about what happened in high school. We aren’t going to get physical anyway so it doesn’t really matter.” 

“Also might not apply. It’s been a long time since you, well, you know.” Stevie said quietly. She was looking down at her feet. Rhett nodded, wishing to quickly evade the uncomfortable topic. 

“But you told him everything else? And about Mike?” Chase asked, still cautious, still curious. Rhett nodded. Chase looked out into the trailer. “Man. You’re head over heels for this one.” 

Rhett looked at Chase and, despite himself, nodded. “Yeah. I know.” 

“Are you going to see him again?” Stevie asked, looking at Rhett.

Rhett shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. It’s all so fast.” 

“Did you kiss?” 

“Chase!” Stevie threw a small pillow across the couch onto Chase’s lap, who took it and laughed. 

“I was only kidding! Don’t throw things at me!” He giggled, but then looked at Rhett. “No seriously. Did you kiss?”

“Well... We didn’t not. Kiss, I mean.” Rhett thought of the moment back in the car when Link had gone to let him out. He had said he had a secret for Rhett, and Rhett had obliged. Link had given him a small peck on the cheek. Rhett had reciprocated with a peck on the lips. Afterwards, the two had looked at each other, unsure what to say, before Rhett, without words, got out of the car and walked up to the trailer, afraid that his face was still red. 

“What!” Stevie stood up and laughed. “That’s great, Rhett! That’s amazing!” 

“Maybe.” Rhett replied quietly. Now it was his turn to look at his shoes and the floor. “It’s all so fast.” He repeated. 

“Yeah... but buddy. You’re head over heels, remember?” Chase grinned and tossed the pillow to Stevie. “It’s okay to feel things.”

“I don’t know.” Rhett stood up. “I need a minute alone.” He walked out of the trailer and onto the grass outside, kicking himself the whole way. “Idiot.” He chastised himself. “Moron. Imbecile. He doesn’t want you.” He looked up at the stars, which he found were partially obscured by large clouds, and found himself wishing that he knew if Link was looking at the same stars, wondering the same things. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so weird that this was my first attempt at a fic. Sorry this chapter is short and not great. I'm not great at like... actual emotions? Anyway. Feedback gives me life. Thanks.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to know what kind of music they make, think Green Day's album American Idiot. First post on here. Please be gentle!


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